Marie Bouzkova
Czech Tennis Player
Marie Bouzkova is a Czech tennis player. She made her WTA Tour debut at the 2015 Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco.
Marie Bouzkova
• Date of birth: 21 July 1998
• Age: 24 years old
• Place of birth: Prague, Czech Republic
• Residence: Florida, USA
• Country (sports): Czech Republic
• Height: 180cm / 5ft 11ins
• Plays: Right-handed
• Career Prize Money: US$ 2,115,384
• Instagram: @maryybou
• Twitter: @mariebouzkova
The 24-year-old was born in Prague and began playing tennis at a club owned by her parents before she moved to Florida when she was 10 years old.
She initially trained at the Bollettieri Academy and is a keen admirer of both Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal.
Marie made her WTA Tour debut at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco in 2015. After making steady progress, she reached her first WTA Tour level final in 2020, at the Monterrey Open.
The following year was a breakthrough period for Bouzkova, as she reached the quarter-finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open in doubles, despite struggling somewhat in singles.
She then started 2022 strongly and reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon to make it through to the last eight of a grand slam tournament for the first time in her career.
So, what do we know about Bouzkova’s journey to becoming the talented tennis player that she is today? This is her story.
Early Life, Parents And Upbringing
Marie Bouzkova was born on 21 July 1998 in Prague, Czech Republic. Her parents – father Milan and mother Kveta – are lifelong tennis and Marie first started playing the game at the club that her parents owned. She has one brother named Benjamin Milan.
She would spend hours hitting with everyone in the family, including her grandma, as she quickly developed a love of the game.
When she was around 10 years old, Marie moved with her family to the Florida in the United States, to assess her level with other promising young players. She initially trained at the Bollettieri Academy.
“When I was nine or 10, we came to the States to see how I am compared to the other kids from around the world,” she explained.
Bouzkova is somewhat recognisable on court thanks to the giant water bottle she uses to keep hydrated during matches. She has revealed that she bought the large bottle from a fellow player while training at the Bollettieri Academy after noticing that it did not shed condensation, making it a perfect accessory to combat the Florida heat and humidity.
“Yeah, we bought it from some random girl who was just practicing there,” said Bouzkova, who still uses the bottle to this day. “I kept drinking from that bottle for like three years, and then, I don’t know, I’ve always just looked it up on Amazon and just got a new bottle.
“Now, I honestly can’t think of playing a match without the bottle. It just became a part of me, and now that I think about it it’s been more than 10 years that I’ve been playing with it.”
Early Career
When she was a young and up-and-coming player, Marie and her father made the decision not to rush things and to take each step of her career slowly and carefully, and not pay too much attention to the fortunes of the other players around her.
“It’s always been the goal of me and my dad to go slowly and not push things too fast,” Bouzkova said. “That’s been kind of our plan since I was 12 – to go slowly and not pay attention if some other players might get there faster. So far it’s been working pretty well, to go slowly and get there at my own pace.”
Marie Bouzkova won the US Open girls’ singles title back in 2014 (Photo: Leonard Zhukovsky / depositphotos.com)
Marie was a strong junior player and she won the girls’ singles title at the US Open in 2014, defeating Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets.
Bouzkova made her WTA Tour debut at the 2015 Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, losing in the first round to Sesil Karatantcheva.
She continued to make steady progress and made her first direct entry appearance in a grand slam main draw at the 2019 US Open, but she lost in the first round to Ajla Tomljanovic.
Rise Up The Rankings
In 2019, Bouzkova continued to make inroads on the tour and came through qualifying at Wimbledon to reach the first round. There, she won her first grand slam main-draw match by beating Mona Barthel, before losing to Maria Sakkari of Greece in round two.
Marie Bouzkova (Photo: @maryybou / Instagram)
“Wimbledon is probably the most special place where you can have your first Grand Slam win,” said Bouzkova back in 2019. “It was a very nice moment, and I guess… I got kind of relieved after that as well. I trusted my game a little bit more and now I’m enjoying.”
She made further progress in 2020 and reached her first WTA Tour level final at the Monterey Open in March of that year, just before the shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the final, she lost to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 7–5 4–6 6–4.
In 2021, Bouzkova was eliminated in the first round of all four of the grand slams. However, she enjoyed success in doubles, and reached the quarter-finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open alongside partner Lucie Hradecka.
She began 2022 in good fashion, by reaching the second round of the Australian Open for the first time, before losing Kaia Kanepi in the second round. She then followed that up by reaching the second round of the French Open, where she had to withdraw prior to her match with Elise Mertens due to Covid-19.
Marie Bouzkova with doubles partner Lucie Hradecka in 2021 (Photo: @maryybou / Instagram)
At Wimbledon 2022, she enjoyed further success, beating the likes of Alison Riske, Danielle Collins and Caroline Garcia en route to reaching the first grand slam quarter-final of her career.
“If you would tell me before the tournament started I would be in the quarters, I probably wouldn’t believe you,” Bouzkova said. “Since the first match it has been really tough journey for me. I have been feeling really many emotions. I’m just really proud right now that I’ve been able to handle everything the way I have and just enjoy the moment.”
Earnings And Prize Money
Marie Bouzkova has won a total of US$ 2,115,384 in career prize money for both singles and doubles combined, as of July 2022.
Life Away From The Court
In 2019, Bouzkova was studying Business Administration at Indiana University East. “I honestly love to study after my matches,” Bouzkova said. “For the past few days after I finish my matches, we have something to eat here then we go to the hotel and I’m there from like four. The first thing I do is open the computer and I study.”
Marie Bouzkova graduated from her course at Indiana University East in 2022 (Photo: @maryybou / Instagram)
In May 2022, she completed her studies and posted on Instagram: “I would like to thank @iueast and @wta for providing the opportunity to complete my business degree completely online as it has been one of my life goals. It felt very special to spend the day on campus and also take part in the Commencement Ceremony. I am proud to be a Red Wolf!”
Away from tennis, her favourite musical artists are Queen, ABBA, Roxette and the Beatles, while favorite movies are Czech comedy classics.
She speaks Czech, English, Spanish and some German.
What Have Others Said?
Ons Jabeur, speaking before facing Bouzkova in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2022: “Marie, really amazing to see her winning. It’s going to be a tough battle because I know she’s such a fighter. She’s everywhere, brings every ball. It’s going to be tricky. But I think my game could really bother her.”
